Politicians, media pundits, economists, and our own accountants have
been hammering us with so much bad news of late, that I'm hoping to
change the beat with a bit of good news: amid the gloom, the future of jazz
in South Florida is brightening. Through our inaugural season of First
Friday Jazz Jams and another strong showing at our Jeanette Russell
Scholarship competition, I've heard more talented young jazz musicians
here in our community than I ever could have imagined. Those of you
who've dropped by one of the jams or heard the scholarship kids play
already know, but the rest of you would be astonished by the dedication
and musicianship of some of these young players.
Here at Gold Coast Jazz, we're more inspired than ever to continue to
create opportunities for the future artists of jazz. Of course we're also excited to bring seasoned
musicians at the height of their craft to our main stage concert series to entertain and inspire
music lovers young and old. We're grateful for your continued help and support in these
important endeavors.
At Gold Coast Jazz, we also love collaborating with other organizations in our community.
Many of you may have attended recent member events held in collaboration with the Bonnet
House Alliance, the Rotary Club, or the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society. Roberta Young
and her membership committee are working overtime planning even more exciting partnership
events in the months ahead to give our members a chance to enjoy some good music and meet
some new people. On November 6, we return to the Bonnet House for another great night of
Jazz & Chocolate on their beautiful grounds. On December 10, our members will gather at
the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art for a jazzy "Informance" about jazz and Norman Rockwell.
On January 31 we're partnering with the Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival for an evening of jazz
films and food. Our hard working gala committee is busily planning another stellar event in
late February and we'll be continuing our First Friday Jazz Jams in December. I hope you'll
make an effort to attend some or all of these happenings. Or if you'd like to join a committee
and help, please call the Gold Coast Jazz office.
This year will be a challenging one for our local arts organizations and we really need
your support more than ever before. Those of you who are not members or have let your
memberships lapse, I urge you to join today. We'll do our very best to give you back more
than your money's worth of fun and musical stimulation - along with the satisfaction of doing
something good for jazz, education, and your community.
Tim Ingham
President
